In loving memory of Gary D. Friedman, PhD

From Abby King:

Gary was a shining light, and an epitome of successful aging. He gave so much to the world, and will be deeply missed. 

From Lori Nelson: 

I was heartbroken to hear of the death of Gary Friedman.  This is a tremendous loss to all of us at Stanford who have treasured him as a dear friend and colleague.  We were so fortunate to have Gary join our teaching faculty 20 years ago when he retired as the Director of the Kaiser Division of Research.  He led the charge for adding a clinical epidemiology training emphasis to our graduate program, paving the way for training generations of medical students and fellows to conduct rigorous clinical and epidemiologic research.  His decades long research experience enabled him to be a fantastic mentor to our students.  Memories of Gary will remain close to our hearts, and we send prayers and warm wishes to his wonderful family and colleagues at the Kaiser Division of Research.

From Julie Parsonnet: 

I began to work with Gary soon after I arrived at Stanford in 1990. I consider our collaborations to have been the happiest of my career. Gary was a tremendous mentor to a young assistant professor—kind, supportive, insightful and generous with his time. He never passed an opportunity to give me a leg up. He has a gentle manner that he could spice up with a dry wit. Soon after we met, he and Ruth invited me to their house for dinner in San Rafael. It felt like an enormous honor. Subsequently, I had the pleasure of seeing Gary perform in numerous concerts. I even played my violin (pitifully) with him on one occasion. 

Gary will be remembered as one of the nation’s greatest epidemiologist. He contributed in so many areas—cardiovascular disease, pharmacoepidemiology and oncology and helped build the Kaiser Division of Research to the powerhouse it is today. But his greatest legacy may be the mark he left on the many junior epidemiologists who followed him. Yes, he set a standard for integrity, creativity, but also for balancing his work with even more important priorities like family and personal artistry.  He will be sorely missed.

From Rita Popat: 

We will miss Gary immensely. He was a wonderful educator, mentor, researcher, and musician who embodied the virtues of kindness, humility, wisdom, and patience. I feel fortunate that our paths crossed during this journey on earth. In addition to treasuring memories of our interactions, I will always treasure the autographed copy of Primer of Epidemiology. The world is a better place because of your contributions, Gary!

From Kristin Sainani:

Gary was a wonderful colleague and a role model for the kind of advisor that we should all be for students--kind, generous, caring. He was a fellow advocate of clear writing--and he provided me with a slew of example edits from his days at AJE: I still use them in class. He touched so many people through his research, writing, editing, and mentoring. He will be greatly missed. 

From Alice Whittemore: 

I am still in shock over Gary's death -- he was so beloved here by both students and faculty alike. He represented caring and love and integrity.